as in to deceive
to cause to believe what is untrue
Tom Sawyer famously hoodwinked the other boys into thinking there was nothing more enjoyable than whitewashing a fence
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Recent Examples of hoodwink
Haider staged a fake murder in an apparent effort to hoodwink Abbas and his bosses.
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Renee Maltezou, Cassell Bryan-Low, Yannis Souliotis and Phil Stewart, USA TODAY, 6 Oct. 2024
Many individuals and companies don’t report after they’ve been hoodwinked.
—Frank Teruel, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
But the season finale truly opened eyes — and its universe — when scrappy dirtbag Eleanor (Kristen Bell) deduced that the avuncular architect guide had hoodwinked them all and that the Good Place was actually...the Bad Place.
—EW.com, 19 Feb. 2025
Billy has lost everything, including his wife, his savings and his dreams thanks to shady entrepreneur Charles Hegel (Josh Brener) who hoodwinked him.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoodwink
Renee Maltezou, Cassell Bryan-Low, Yannis Souliotis and Phil Stewart, USA TODAY, 6 Oct. 2024
Many individuals and companies don’t report after they’ve been hoodwinked.
—Frank Teruel, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
But the season finale truly opened eyes — and its universe — when scrappy dirtbag Eleanor (Kristen Bell) deduced that the avuncular architect guide had hoodwinked them all and that the Good Place was actually...the Bad Place.
—EW.com, 19 Feb. 2025
Billy has lost everything, including his wife, his savings and his dreams thanks to shady entrepreneur Charles Hegel (Josh Brener) who hoodwinked him.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoodwink
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoodwink
Verb
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Their book has already generated a national debate about whether the White House deceived the public about the president’s condition and how Biden’s late exit from the race undermined the Democratic Party’s chances of stopping a second term for President Trump.—
Stephen Battaglio,
Los Angeles Times,
20 May 2025
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Although Bristol’s spring race may appear to have sparse crowds, this is somewhat deceiving.—
Jordan Bianchi,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
Verb
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Prosecco may be Italy’s most joyful export—bubbly, bright, and effortlessly charming—but don’t let its easygoing nature fool you.—
Emily Price,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
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Don't let his three Emmy nominations and his more than 10 million Instagram followers fool you, Pedro Pascal is a man of the people.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
Verb
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In April, the comedian shared that he had been tricked by someone pretending to be the group’s manager while trying to arrange a bit involving actor Richard Kind and a pet tortoise.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
29 May 2025
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Attackers often trick users into unknowingly running malware this way. 4.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
29 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hoodwink.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoodwink. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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